Research Guides: Academic Writing Guide: Develop a Topic

What is APA Style?

APA Style is a standardized writing format, established by the American Psychological Association, which you may need to follow when submitting projects or papers. If you have questions about APA formatting, look at our APA Style Guide.

How to Develop a Topic

Tips on Developing a Topic
Video: How to Develop a Good Research Topic

Choose a topic that interests you and will hold your attention. If you do, the research will be more enjoyable!
Choose a topic which has ample research available. When considering a topic, do a little preliminary searching to see if enough research exists for your to complete your assignment.
Choose a topic that is not too broad. You want to be able to cover your topic within the assignment parameters. If you are writing a 5 page paper, you will want to make sure your topic is narrow enough to cover in those 5 pages.

Background Research

Purpose of Background Research:

Provides a good overview of the topic if you are unfamiliar with it
Helps identify important facts -- terminology, dates, events, history, organizations, etc.
Can help refine your topic
Leads to bibliographies which provide additional sources of information

Recommended Databases for Background Research:

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Index, abstracts, and full text for many scholarly publications covering all academic areas of study.
Newsbank This link opens in a new window
Newsbank provides 12,000+ full text sources from over 200 countries and 250+ full color PDF versions of newspapers with same day delivery.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new window
Covers today's hottest social issues, from capital punishment to immigration to marijuana. Presents each side of an issue with viewpoint reports, and adds journal articles, statistics, video/audio, news, and primary sources.

Developing a Research Question or Thesis Statement

After you have selected your topic and completed your background research, you must formulate a research question and/or thesis statement.

A research question is the topic you are trying to answer; a thesis statement provides the answer to that question.

Research Question and Thesis Statement
An overview of the research question and thesis statement from the Spartanburg Community College Library
Starting Your Research: Research Question vs. Thesis Statement
The difference between a research question and a thesis statement from the Harold Washington College Library
Tips and Examples for Writing the Thesis Statement
Tips for writing a thesis statement, with examples, from the Purdue OWL
Where to Begin
How to begin the writing process, from Purdue OWL. Includes a section on "writing your research question"

Video: Developing a Research Question